NVIDIA Shield TV is one of the most popular 4K streaming Android boxes, and though it is one of the more expensive set-top boxes than some of the ones that are available in the market, it comes with the added functionality of Amazon’s Alexa voice recognition app that lets you voice search for content as well as pass voice commands directly to a remote that comes with the set. With its superior processor and easy access to Amazon Prime that has some of the best content available for streaming media, the Shield TV is something that one would definitely want if one wants to cut the cable cord for good. However, if you still want to watch live matches or stream OTA channels that carry your favourite cable TV shows, the Shield TV can do that for you with some small hardware additions and a little manipulation on the set top box itself.
NVIDIA Shield TV
NVIDIA Shield TV has the right hardware for a lot of stuff, as we know well, but now it can show you live, over the air TV as well. This is a useful addition, as it helps compete with the Android TV that has live TV built right in. A set-top box like the Shield TV is not left behind either as well, and if you add the right hardware, you can get the same experience as you would on an ordinary TV.
Here’s what you need
You will need the very useful HDHomeRun Connect tuner that you can get off SiliconDust. It will function as an intermediary pulling your over-the-air TV signals and broadcasting them over the local networks. Similar stuff is available for Android TV and the basic set-up is the same for all of them.
What you will use:
HDHomeRun Connect
OTA TV Antenna which may be internal/external
Ethernet Cable for the HDHomeRun Connect
NVIDIA Shield TV obviously
First make sure that the HDHomeRun is working, and a guide to do that you can find on the internet, most easily on Windows Central.
To Add live TV channels.
Start your Shield TV and first make sure that the Live TV application is up to date and working. Then you would need to download and install HDHomeRun from the Amazon Play Store. After you do that, open the Live Channels app on your Shield TV and see to it that the HDHomeRun is the input source for your live channels. When you do that, the app will fill in from channels from the source, and when this is done, you are done and click on done.
HDHomeRun
When you open the Live Channels app on the Shield TV, you will now be able to access all of the channels that you can get on-the-air TV antenna with a full TV guide as well. While it may be inconvenient that all your Live Channels need you to install and run the HDHomeRun app to become available, it is only a mild inconvenience.
Another way to go about is to not go the Live Channels app and use the HDHomeRun app itself to watch Live TV. The UI is better in Live Channels and you might be better off using it though, and it will also serve as the central location where you can have your other apps hook into. However, if you happen to be using the beta version of HDHomeRun DVR, you will be stuck with using just the HDHomeRun app.
This is how you add live channels onto the Shield TV, and with this added functionality, your Shield TV should work as good as your regular cable TV television with the added benefits of a centralized and more user-friendly UI, as well as other streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime available right to your screens.
